ON THE RUNWAY; Harlem's Showcase

By JESSICA ANDREWS

Published: September 20, 2012

6:22 p.m. | Updated DURING the recent spring shows in New York, a handful of New York designers and brands celebrated anniversaries. Harlem's Fashion Row was among them.

The concept behind Harlem's Fashion Row is simple enough. Brandice Henderson, its founder, was attending a fashion show in Brooklyn and thought her own neighborhood, Harlem, deserved a showcase as well. She introduced Harlem's Fashion Row in 2007 with a small show staffed by 15 volunteers.

Five years later, Harlem's Fashion Row became the primary collective platform for designers of color during New York Fashion Week, enabling emerging artists to showcase their talent among industry heavyweights, including top buyers, editors and bloggers.

Its Sept. 7 show at Lincoln Center drew such notables as Natalie Cole, Vanessa Williams and Nicole Murphy (Eddie Murphy's former wife), who walked the runway wearing a design by Omar Salam. Fashion insiders like Corynne Corbett, Essence magazine's beauty director; Julee Wilson, the Huffington Post style editor; and Fern Mallis, former executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, sat front row.

More than 300 people attended the presentation, which featured five designers. Nzinga Knight, inspired by a recent trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, showed embellished pieces, including a blush gown with hand-embroidered mirror detail. Mr. Salam's spring 2013 collection for Sukeina was marked by voluminous shapes like a billowing silk organza tulip jacket worn over a lace dress. For her Ashtyn line, Latisha Daring sent kimono-sleeve jackets and tribal-printed skirts down the runway. Joseph Bethune showed structured separates in camouflage and denim for the brand Bethune Brothers. Kevan Hall introduced a collection of crepe sheaths, peplum dresses, petal skirts and gowns covered in tiered palettes.

But the show isn't merely about clothes. The organization's primary purpose is to push designers forward in the fashion business. "I hope that through H.F.R. we create a company that acts as a bridge for designers of color to get into fashion," Ms. Henderson said of Harlem's Fashion Row.

The company grooms its designers, who were selected by a panel of judges in June. Applicants were asked to show pieces from past collections, explain their business strategy, present their spring 2013 sketches and explain why they wanted to be a part of Harlem's Fashion Row. Scores were tallied, and the five highest-ranked designers were selected.

Once chosen, designers are given the opportunity to consult with leaders in the business. Ms. Mallis met with them throughout the selection process, and the designer Stephen Burrows critiqued each piece of the designers' collections, Ms. Henderson said.

Ms. Henderson, who has more than a decade of retail-buying and fashion-production experience, is optimistic about the future of Harlem's Fashion Row. "We are planning to launch an H.F.R. label in 2014 with a small capsule collection of products available on our Web site," she said. "We are hoping that we can not only show the designers' collections, but also produce and market it for them. When this happens, everything changes."

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.